The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-28
ALessop from Natural Gas.

ls pleasant TO look oack upon an honorable Ire,
to carry clear conscience to the grave, and with
this one can die happy.
Lesson from Natural Gas.
Rev a. A. Edison, of Memorial Presbyterian
Church. talked to large congregation last night
on Natural Cas-" He took for his text Psalm
cxlvii, L Praise the Lord for the earth" "Our
modern scientists he said, shave not been able
to supersede the reverent philosophy of the
ancient singer We have, after SO many centu-
| ries. larger accumulation of facts. but we have
no clearer vision than he had of the one funda-
mental truth concerning the origin of the world.
We cannot do better than to follow him.
AS each century makes its contributions to sci
ence. and especially through the marvellous rush
OF recent progress, the race will be nearer to
God. We shall be getting all the while clearer
and fuller disclosure of the Projections of deity.
1t would surely show our folly in the midst OF
the latest disclosures of the old earhs treasures,
not to think of the riches, and power and wisdom
| or God. Derricks and drills now arrest the at
tention of travellers in central and northern In
| diana almost as frequently wind mills arrest
| the eye in Holland. They are not to lie taken
as instruments of speculation and commerce
! only. They do suggest what may prove
| to be complete revolution of the
! business OF this region and our own city. There
| is money in them, but for reverent minds.
| there is great deal more. We take up anew
| and in enlarged interest the study of Gods
| great world book. The discovery of natural gas
and its use for lighting and heating purposes is
| by no means recent AS early the tenth
century the Arabian Masudi calls attention to
| fire breathing mountain" at what is the
| Russian part of Bakee, the Caspian sea.
| The remarkable escape Of gas made the place
| the favorite resort of the fire worshipers. who
| maintained their temple there amid the mystery
| of the eternal fires. The Chinese, who apt
! to smile at modern discoveries, have long
| had their gas wells.
About the year 1860 parliamentary commit
| tee, reporting upon accidents in mines, states
| that when one OF the Nova Scotia coal beds WAS
| opened at the depth of $50 feet, the whole mine
seemed to be in state OF fermentation. The
gas roared as the miners struck the coal A
| neighboring river was thrown into a violent
ebulirion. and the gas could be lighted on the
| surface of the water.
In our own country the phenomenon has not
| been at all unfamiliar. Though we have only
| begun in recent years to comprehend the I'M
| portance Of these supplies of nature, they have
been observed for many years The Burning
| Spring" at Niagara Falls. is only natural gas
| afire. In Wow of the multiplicity of similar
facts it is certainly remarkable that commerce,
| usually so swift and keen, has been so tardy in
| availing itself of these prodigious stores of
wealth and power. Practically. the util-
| ization of natural gas has been effected during
the last five years After once fairly getting hold
of 1t, its development has been pushed with de-
| termined energy. Already Pittsburg. which
was one OF the busiest cities of the world, has
neys and smoked walls and ceilings things of
the past Up to February. 1885. in Pennsylva-
| MIA there were $50 companies chartered to sup
ply natural gas, with capital OF over S., 600 600
What is natural casl The answer is at hand.
Its largest constituent is what is known "a
marsh gas, so called because generated in
marshes Next to hydrogen natural gas is the
most powerful of gaseous fuels If gas should
be found here, 1t will probably be rich in light
AS we'll as heat Natural gas is produced by the
decay of animal and vegetable matter. Will
the wells ever be exhausted Are we
to think of subterranean reservoirs
as subterranean factories7 Has the
gas been made and stored up, or is it still being
made2 This is a business that ought to make us
wonder and worship, and inquire. In the first
place, we should praise God the vast
ness of His laboratories for the benefit of man
} From the wells we may learn a lesson Of econo
my. It seems to be lesson taught by the
timely developments of these fresh and supris
ing forms of the earth. We find them when we
need them. Near them we have long been. yet
they have been concealed from us. revealed al
, q peoriod when man is able to turn them to use
He saw in them Gods easy mastery of those
social problems by which distressed
The monopohsts, what shall be done with them
The coal barons how shall we overcome them
The Stewards and Goulds. who will obstrnc
their gigantic schemesf Snch problems weigt
upon US, but they do not burden Providence
We may lesve them largely to God. By the aii
, of the gas-wells we may be able to live withou
the aid of the Goa; barons. The mill
ionaire is coming right along Natural ga.
may mean the burning up of this old mother
earth. and putting away the first that God may
establish the second. When we stop to thinl
that we getting from the earth that which
2 Peter has written for our destruction we ar
( awe-struck; 1.-THE day of the Lord will come a
a thief in the night, and the heavens shall fal
away with great noise and the elements shall
melt with ferment heat; the earth, also, and tn
t works that are therein shall be burned up"